Weathering the Storm
by Bohemian.Butterfly
Summary: After Andy recovers from surgery and moves back home, he decides that it's about time life got back to normal. That includes taking Sharon out on a romantic date to thank her for everything she's done over the last month to help him recover from his injuries and the surgery. When they each share what they're feeling, it results in a significant step forward in their relationship.
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters or M/C, but if I did, this is what would happen.

A/N: This story was written for Week 5 of the MC Hiatus Challenge on Tumblr. The theme for this week was "Missing Scenes" and this is what I came up with. It takes place after 4x16 but before 4x17. Enjoy!

 **Weathering the Storm**

It had been almost a week now since Andy had been able to move back into his place after recovering from the surgery to remove the blood clot in his neck. Now that he'd had enough time to acclimate to living on his own again, he was eager for things to return back to normal. Part of that meant taking Sharon out on a proper date. While Andy was appreciative of all that Sharon had done to help him during his recovery, he desperately wanted to get back to being her boyfriend instead of her patient. Which is how he'd ended up writing her a note during some downtime in the backlog of paperwork the team was currently working on completing. He'd snuck into her office while she was upstairs in a meeting with Chief Taylor and set it next to her laptop where she'd be sure to see the envelope.

So, as she strolled into her office an hour later after finishing her meeting with Chief Taylor, Sharon was surprised to see an envelope addressed with only her first name tucked under her computer. Between that and the familiar handwriting her name was written in, she knew it was from Andy. As she picked the envelope up and opened it, she found a folded piece of paper inside. She pulled the piece of paper out of the envelope and opened it to reveal a note written in Andy's familiar handwriting. It read:

 _Sharon,_

 _I think it's about time I thanked you for all that you've done to help me over the past month or so. So, find a nice dress to wear and I'll pick you up at 8pm tonight. I look forward to seeing what you pick out._

 _\- Andy_

As Sharon folded the letter back up and stuck it in her purse, she couldn't help the huge smile that appeared on her face. She grabbed a post it and quickly scrawled something down on it before ripping it off the cube it was on and walking out into the murder room. As she walked by Andy's desk to get an update on the team's progress with their paperwork, she quickly dropped the note on his desk in front of him. It read:

 _It's a date._

 _\- Sharon_

Andy smiled for a moment before quickly sticking the note in his desk drawer and returning his attention back to his paperwork.

* * *

Everybody was able to leave the PAB around 6:30pm that night, which left Sharon and Andy just enough time to go home and get ready for their date that night. Around 7:30pm, while Sharon was getting ready, she received a text from Andy. It read:

 _What color are you wearing tonight?_

Sharon couldn't help but laugh at his question. The whole matching thing had started quite by accident, then for a while they started matching just to freak people out, and now that they were a couple, they both found the whole thing kind of endearing and would on occasion color coordinate their outfits. She responded with:

 _Burgundy._

A minute later, as Sharon was putting on her form fitting v-neck burgundy long sleeve dress that hit just above the knee, she heard her phone ding with a response from Andy. It said:

 _Can't wait to see it…and you. I'll be there in about 30 minutes._

Sharon quickly responded with:

 _Looking forward to it. See you soon._

After she sent her response, Sharon started doing her hair and makeup. She decided to straighten her hair and kept her makeup fairly simple as well. As she was in her closet picking out which shoes to wear and which clutch to bring, she heard a knock on her door. Since Rusty was at the library studying tonight, she left her shoes in the closet for the moment and went to answer the door. Once she opened it, she saw Andy standing there with a large bouquet of red roses in his hand. He just stood there speechless for a moment before Sharon broke him out of his daze.

"Are those for me?" Sharon asked Andy as she smiled at him.

"Uh, yeah. Sorry. Here," said Andy as he handed the roses to Sharon.

"You wanna come inside for a minute?" Sharon asked him.

"Yeah, sure," replied Andy as he stepped inside, never taking his eyes off Sharon.

"Judging from the fact that you haven't taken your eyes off of me since I opened the door and you seem to be struggling with your words tonight, I'm gonna assume you appreciate my choice of outfit for the evening," said Sharon as she walked into the kitchen to find a vase for the roses.

As Andy walked towards Sharon, he snaked his arms around her waist from behind and whispered, "More than appreciate. You look stunning, Sharon. So stunning that I'll probably end up staring down more than a few guys tonight for looking at you too long."

As Sharon turned around in Andy's arms and snaked her arms around his waist she said, "I'm glad you like the dress. Thank you for the flowers. You didn't have to do that."

"No, but I wanted to. You've done so much for me over the last month. It's the least I could do to show my appreciation. Besides, not everyone would've stuck around for all of this like you have," said Andy.

"I was happy to do it, Andy. I'm just glad you're doing better now," Sharon told him.

"Much better. I missed you this week," Andy admitted.

"I missed you too," said Sharon.

"I know," replied Andy.

"What? How?" Sharon asked him confusedly.

"Well, the way you kept asking me how I was doing living on my own made it pretty obvious," Andy told her.

"I just wanted to make sure you were doing alright being on your own again so soon after the surgery," Sharon told him.

"I know and I l-appreciate how much you care, but I'm fine, really. I just want to enjoy a night out with my beautiful girlfriend without her having to worry about taking care of me," said Andy.

"I can do that," said Sharon before she kissed Andy.

"That's certainly a good start," said Andy once they broke apart.

"It might also help if I was wearing shoes. So, while I'm doing that, why don't you fill that vase with water and stick those beautiful roses in it for me," said Sharon.

"Well, I don't usually like it when you have to leave, but…" Andy trailed off.

As Sharon turned around and began walking down the hall, she asked Andy, "How's the view?"

"I can't complain," replied Andy as he continued watching Sharon walk down the hall.

At that, Sharon laughed before disappearing into her room to slip into the nude heels she'd picked out and to grab the cream and gold clutch she'd chosen for the evening.

Oh, how Andy loved that laugh of hers. It was infectious and always brought a smile to his face. There was that word again. He was finding more and more lately that he'd have to stop himself from saying it. He'd almost told her before he went into surgery, but she had stopped him. He hadn't taken it personally though. He understood Sharon's need to not have him tell her he loved her for the first time in the middle of a hospital room right before he went into surgery. It was an emotionally charged situation for both of them and he understood her needing to know he meant it and wasn't just saying it because he could die on the table. The thing was, he would've meant it then and he would've meant it just now when he'd almost let a certain four letter word slip out of his mouth. It was why he currently had an envelope with a certain letter he'd written all those weeks ago tucked inside his jacket pocket. Andy didn't know how much longer he could stop himself from saying those three little words. He just had to find the right moment to tell her.

As Andy smiled at the thought, Sharon said, "Earth to Andy."

"Oh, sorry. I guess I zoned out there for a minute," said Andy.

"What were you smiling about just now?" Sharon asked him.

"A certain Captain who happens to look drop dead gorgeous in burgundy," answered Andy.

"Well, as long as nobody actually drops dead tonight, we'll be okay," replied Sharon dryly.

"I think we're good there. Are you ready to go?" Andy asked Sharon.

"Yeah," replied Sharon as she grabbed Andy's hand and interlaced her fingers with his.

"Well, then let's get this date started," replied Andy as they walked hand and hand out the door.

* * *

Andy had chosen an upscale Mediterranean restaurant right on the beach in Santa Monica for their date tonight. The view of the beach provided the perfect backdrop for them to enjoy their meal together. As they ate they talked about everything from their kids to their Christmas plans and simply enjoyed each other's company and the feeling of their fingers laced together on top of the table.

Once they finished their meal and Andy paid the check, Andy said, "I have an idea if you're up for it."

"What would that be?" Sharon asked Andy curiously.

"Well, the view of the beach from here looks amazing. I thought we might go down there and enjoy it for a while," said Andy.

"That sounds like an amazing idea," Sharon told him.

"Well, then let's go then," said Andy as they both got up from the table and headed out the front door of the restaurant towards the parking lot.

Once Andy unlocked the car, they both sat down to remove their shoes before Andy hit a button to open his trunk.

As Sharon followed him to the back of the car, she smirked before she asked, "You planned this, didn't you?"

"I planned for the possibility of this," replied Andy as he removed a fairly large blanket from the trunk before closing it.

"Well, good thinking on your part because the only place I want sand is between my toes," replied Sharon.

"Me too. Shall we?" Andy asked her.

"Yeah. Let's go," replied Sharon as they made their way down onto the beach.

Andy found a spot with a perfect view of the stars and the reflection of the moon on the ocean. He laid the blanket out before sitting down on it and inviting Sharon to sit in front of him. As she sat down, Andy noticed her shiver slightly. He quickly removed his jacket and draped it over Sharon's shoulders before she leaned back against his chest.

"This is nice," said Sharon as she looked out into the ocean.

"Yeah, it is," replied Andy as he wrapped his arms around Sharon's waist before placing a kiss against the side of her head.

"I'm glad we decided to do this tonight. I've missed this. Just you and me without anyone else around," said Sharon.

"Me too. I've missed being able to be your boyfriend and just doing normal couple stuff together," said Andy as he gently nuzzled his nose against Sharon's hair before using one of his hands to move some of her hair to the side and placing a gentle kiss on the sensitive spot behind her ear.

As Sharon sighed and leaned into Andy's chest a little more, she felt something poking her arm. Something that seemed to be in the inside pocket of Andy's jacket.

As Sharon sat up and went to remove it from her shoulders, she asked Andy, "Is there something in the pocket of your jacket?"

As Sharon reached inside to grab the offending object, Andy said, "Yeah. It's for you. Just wait a minute before you open it though. There's something I need to tell you first. Something I've been meaning to say for a while now."

"Okay. What is it?" Sharon asked Andy nervously as she turned to face him.

"Ever since the day of my surgery, I've found that more and more I've had to catch myself from saying a certain three words to you. Words that I certainly don't take lightly. Now, I completely understand you not wanting the first time I said those three words to you to be in the middle of a hospital room when I was about to go in for a surgery I might not come out of. I know the situation itself was hard enough for you to deal with and me saying those words would've made it even harder, not to mention it would've been the most unromantic setting ever. Despite that, I need you to know that I would've meant it as much then as I do now when I say, I love you, Sharon. More than you know. Tonight when you came back into the kitchen and caught me smiling like an idiot, it was because I was thinking about how much I love your laugh and how it's so infectious that I can't help but smile every time I hear it. I was thinking about all of the different things I love about you. Your grace. Your strength. How beautiful you look you look at 7am on a Saturday morning after you've just gotten up. The way your fingers intertwine with mine when you hold my hand and how perfect and right it feels. How every time you kiss me, I feel like the luckiest man in the world because out of all the fish in the sea, you chose me. Now, I understand if you're not ready to say it back yet. I don't want you to feel pressure to say it just because-" said Andy before Sharon cut him off.

"Andy, stop. Can I say something?" Sharon asked him.

"Yeah," replied Andy as he looked at her

"That day in the hospital when I stopped you from saying that you loved me right before you went into surgery. You were right about me not wanting you to say it because of the situation. Mostly though, I just got scared. I was afraid if you said it, that it would be that much more difficult if you didn't make it out of surgery. As they were wheeling you down the hallway though, I realized that I had just made one of the biggest mistakes of my life by stopping you from saying it. Because just as they were about to wheel you around the corner and out of sight, I realized that I might never get to see you again and the thought of you never knowing how I really felt about you terrified me about as much as the possibility of you not making it through the surgery did. I realized I was wrong to stop you because in that moment, I wanted to say it too. The only reason I didn't is because I thought the moment was gone. That I'd somehow missed the window of opportunity to say it and not have it seem forced. Then, afterwards I thought it might seem weird if I said it because I didn't want it to seem like I was saying it out of guilt for not letting you say it before. Ever since that day though, I've wanted to tell you this: I love you Andy Flynn. Even though you scare me half to death by jumping onto moving cars and getting injured. Despite how things may have started, you've become my best friend, the person I go to when I need a shoulder to cry on, my boyfriend, and most importantly the man I love. The man who for some strange reason has decided to love me despite all of my walls and an insane amount of baggage. I thought I had built a fortress around my heart, but you snuck in there and tore it all down and somewhere along the way, you stole my heart, and despite my love of the rules, it's one of the best things to ever happen to me," Sharon told Andy.

As Andy leaned forward until his lips were inches away from Sharon's, he joked, "Best robbery ever, huh?"

Sharon answered Andy's question by closing the gap between them and pressing her lips to his in a kiss far more passionate than any they had shared before.

When the need for air became necessary and they broke apart, Sharon asked, "So, what's in the envelope?"

"What?" Andy asked, still in a daze from the kiss.

"The envelope that was in your jacket pocket. What's in it?" Sharon asked Andy as she picked it up from where she had set it down on the blanket.

"A letter. I wrote it for you before I went into surgery. I gave it to Provenza to give to you in case something happened and I didn't make it," replied Andy.

"Why don't you read it to me?" asked Sharon as she held the letter out for Andy as she resumed her previous position leaning back against his chest.

"Okay," replied Andy as he took the envelope from her before opening it and removing the piece of yellow legal pad paper.

Once he unfolded the piece of paper, he wrapped one arm Sharon's waist before he prepared to begin reading the letter out loud.

" _Dear Sharon,_

 _I'm about to go into surgery and if I'm being honest, I'm a little freaked out. All this talk of surgery and DNR's has really got me thinking about what really matters in my life and all that I stand to lose if I don't make it. It's been a long time since I've thought of myself as a lucky man, but there's something about the possibility of dying that seems to put things in perspective. I've got some great friends, two amazing kids, and then of course there's you. While there is that small element of fear about possibly dying on the table in that operating room today, what I'm more afraid of is that happening without you ever know how I really feel about you._

 _Given the present situation, it seems stupid now to think I ever let being nervous stop me from saying what I'm about to say to you, but I guess the important thing is I'm telling you now. I love you, Sharon. We started out as enemies, but somewhere along the way you became my best friend and the woman I'm proud to say that I'm madly in love with. If something happens today and I don't make it out of this surgery, I want you to know that you were loved and cherished by me. That these past four months have been some of the best of my life. From you agreeing to go on that first date with me at Serve to you graciously inviting me to come live with you while I recovered from my injuries and everything in between, it has all truly been one of the best times in my life. I want you to know that I'll never forget the way your smile lights up a room and that although you might be really sad right now, the sun will rise and your smile will eventually return. I want you to promise me that you'll find a way to be happy again because happiness looks good on you._

 _All my love,_

 _Andy "_

As Andy set the letter down next to him on the blanket, he could hear Sharon choking back tears in front of him. He wrapped his other arm around her waist and hugged her tightly.

Through her tears, Sharon said, "There's something hauntingly beautiful about that letter and I'm not sure if that makes me morbid or what."

"I don't think so. What we were both afraid of happening didn't happen. I think it's more of a reminder than anything else," said Andy.

"Yeah. It reminds us of a storm we weathered together and that life and love are precious and that it can all be taken away in an instant. It reminds us to appreciate what and who we have in our lives and to never take anything for granted," said Sharon as she turned around to face Andy.

"I couldn't agree more," replied Andy as he leaned forward and pressed a passionate kiss against Sharon's lips. One that held the promise of a bright future and served as a reminder of the significant step forward that they'd taken in their relationship tonight and those still ahead of them.

A/N: Hope you guys enjoyed this story! As always, leave a review to let me know what you thought of it.


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